Pack Bound
by Shinju90
Summary: "I had never told my team that I was a werewolf. Before the Marrok had revealed the werewolf's existence last year it had been because of the rules forbidding regular humans the knowledge. But now that we were out, it was just because I was scared."
1. Prologue

**Title**: Pack Bound  
><strong>Characters<strong>: Tim and the team

**Genre**: Supernatural  
><strong>Rating<strong>: FR15

**Crossover**: The Mercy Thompson Novels

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: "I had never told my team that I was a werewolf. Before the Marrok had revealed the werewolf's existence last year it had been because of the rules forbidding regular humans the knowledge. But now that we were out, it was just because I was scared."

**Author's Note**: I'm trying my best to be sure that even if you haven't read Mercy Thompson series the story is understandable, since this is mainly an NCIS story. I will probably include a few characters from the original story, but not many, just the setting. This story takes place somewhere during season 7, in the middle somewhere, before the Reynosa cartel stars stirring the shit.

Reviews are always appreciated.

_**Pack Bound**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Prologue<strong>_

I was a child when the lesser fae were revealed to the public by the Gray Lords. I can vaguely remember sitting on the couch with my mother watching the trial of Kieran McBride, a gardener accused of murdering his elderly billionaire employer with a pair of garden shears. When the prosecution had finally been goaded into asking Kieran to hold the shears he had taken them; and promptly dropped them as his hands began to smoke and blister. My mother and I leaned forward on the couch, holding our breath with the rest of the watching world as Kieran showed his mangled hands to the jury. Then on a cue from his lawyers he dropped his glamour that hid his true appearance from the human eye.

That had been the first time that real magic was ever revealed to the public, in the most public way possible, live television. And I had learned later it had all been planned to work to the fae's advantage. Fearing that they couldn't hide their presence in the new age of cold iron, technology and forensic sciences the masters of the fae, the Gray Lords, had forced the weakest and most attractive into the public eye.

For a short while people had been enamored with the magical beings. I could remember going to the theaters to watch a new version of _Peter Pan _starring a real pixie and a boy who could really fly. But inevitably people began to remember the older fairy tales, where the fae weren't always nice and friendly. Hatred and fear forced most of the revealed fae into living in four large reservations spread across the United States. It had been that way for nearly three decades now. People began wondering about other supernatural beings of old stories. Werewolves and Vampires were sought for by foolish humans, but other than the fae, no more supernatural beings stepped into the lime light.

Not until last year that is.

It was only a matter of time after all. Werewolves are much harder to hide than the fae. Or rather, the aftermath of werewolves is harder to hide. For the most part werewolves are controlled by the packs and the packs are controlled by the Alpha wolf in charge. In charge of all of the packs and all of the Alpha's is the Marrok.

No one is really certain how old the Marrok is, I've heard rumors that he came to the United States from Wales in 1800's with a Welsh fur trapper and map maker. It's believed that he is far older than that. But I've also heard rumors that he is omniscient and an all powerful mega-wolf so I'm not sure I should pay too much attention to the rumors, I've never met him myself. The Marrok and his pack live in Montana, much further west than I've ever traveled.

Of course I discovered the world of werewolves much earlier than the rest of the world. I know that they aren't all the military heroes that the Marrok uses as poster boys. If it could have been possible I would have preferred to stay in the dark, but I guess that would have meant that I'd have died fifteen years ago. Although sometimes, when life really sucks I can't help but think that wouldn't have been such a bad thing.

Becoming a werewolf isn't so simple as being bitten. No, to become a werewolf a person has to be mauled so thoroughly that they are left an inch from death. The bodies immune system rejects the wolfs magic and it has to be completely torn down for the magic to slip through and take over. If by some chance the person survives the initial attack they begin to heal, at an amazingly quick rate. They think that the terror of their nightmare is over and for awhile it is, until the full moon rises into the sky and their wolf is called to the surface.

Most of the time people are changed by family members, people who care about them and are there to help them survive. But every now and then a rouge wolf will come around and loose themselves to the madness of the predator inside. Those wolves don't live long. The packs hunt them down and execute them, for the safety of everyone, human and wolf alike. But they leave a trail of destruction in their wake and lots and lots of bodies.

As a celebration for being accepted into MIT and finally getting the cast removed after my crash, my uncle had taken me camping. It was late in the year and the air was beginning to chill, other than us the campground was empty. Our first day out was wonderful, since Dad was deployed at the time I hadn't had a male role model for awhile. Uncle Thomas took me hiking and fishing and we cooked our spoils over the campfire. I remember getting ready for bed, unzipping my sleeping bag. Uncle Thomas heard a noise, he had brought a shotgun with him, to deter bears. I remember him grabbing it, then nothing.

I woke up the neck morning, naked in the county morgue with a tag around my toe. Uncle Thomas was on the table next to me, he didn't wake up.

I think I scared the coroner so bad he wet himself, I was extremely worried when Duck had a similar experience. But he seemed to handle it okay. They wanted to hold me at the hospital after I finished healing two days later, it was miraculous they said. They pestered my mother for our genealogy, kept asking if there was any fae in our blood. I was confused, Mom was confused and grieving, I was discharged against medical advice and we hurried home. The local Alpha and his second were waiting for us when he got there.

Pack hierarchy is determined by how dominant a wolf is. The most dominant of all is the Alpha, he is in a dictator like position, no on in the pack is allowed to go against his will. Some wolves are so dominant that their very presence makes less dominant wolves fall onto their bellies, turning over to expose their vulnerable necks.

After the Alpha the next two wolves that are most dominant become his second and third. The are his right and left hand men, in charge when he is away or incapable. After that the dominance wars continue until you reach the submissive wolves. There aren't many. To survive the change most wolves have to have some amount of dominance in them, they think that the gentle people that would become submissive wolves don't have what it takes. I think that some people just have an extraordinary will to live.

Being a submissive wolf sucks. Everyone in the pack is in a higher position than you. Everyone except the unmated females that is, female werewolves are just about as rare as submissives. Although to be fair when a female takes a mate she takes her position from him, he has a chance to advance in the world, unlike me.

After my attack I had a summer to learn to control the beast inside me. I was accepted into a pack in Massachusetts pack, close to MIT. Worst decision ever made for me, in my life. There were no other submissive wolves in that pack, no unmated females. I was situated at the bottom of the totem pole, submissive to everyone in the pack.

It wouldn't have been so bad if the Alpha in charge was a good Alpha. He would have had control of the others, kept them from playing their dominance games on someone who would never fight back. But he wasn't a good Alpha, he had only taken that position recently because the last Alpha had died in an accident. Not only did he not have control of the pack, he didn't seem to care about our well being. For four years I lived in hell, until the Marrok caught wind of the situation and sent his second, his son Charles, in to clean up the mess.

Charles Cornick was the second most powerful wolf in the United States. He was enforcer and executioner, he was a force to be feared. When he arrived during a pack meeting unexpected there was chaos. Fearing for his position the Alpha had attacked, with his second and third close behind. None of them lasted a minute.

I remember the panic in the room being overwhelming. People began shifting forms against their will as the wolf inside fought for it's survival. Then Charles took control, all by himself, of the remaining fifteen wolves. After everything had calmed down he informed the pack that it was official dissolved and we would all be reassigned to other packs. I was the last to be reassigned by the time Charles reached me, we were the only wolves left.

He had looked at my bruises and frowned at my skittishness. He asked where I planned to go after I graduated from MIT. He promised me that wherever I wanted to go he would find me a pack with and Alpha that would take care of his pack. It's hard for wolves to look more dominant wolves in the eye. They tend to take things like that as a challenge and the instinct to survive is deeply ingrained. That night I looked into Charles eyes and asked him if there was any other option.

Lone wolf.

I had always heard the term. Hell, I'd been called it a few times back in high school! But now that I had been changed it had a new meaning. Lone wolves lived outside of the pack hierarchy. On the bright side I would have no one dominating me on a daily basis. But on the downside, I was alone and the wolf is not a solitary creature.

Charles and I talked for a long time, he told me that he was the go to guy for information on lone wolfing it. He gave me all the facts, straight with no sugar coating. I would be my own boss, do things on my own time. But I would be constantly alone, with no one to comfort me or protect me. The security that a pack ensured would be gone. Although after the previous four years, solitude sounded heavenly.

So I became a lone wolf. I attended Johns Hopkins, after gaining permission from the local pack to live in the area. I constantly had to skirt around their presence, but a predator doesn't enter another predator's territory unless he is looking for trouble. It wasn't difficult to avoid them, it was just more instinct.

As a child I had always wanted to be in law enforcement and now I actually had a chance of making that dream come true. After I had finished at Johns Hopkins I applied at FLETC, werewolves thrived in law enforcement and the military. However I wanted to apply for a position where there would undoubtedly be very few other wolves, NCIS. Naval Criminal Investigative Services. Werewolves didn't to do in the navy. It probably had something to do with the fact that we sink like stones in the water. Our muscle mass is much to heavy and dense for us to swim well.

It was probably a little reckless, but I knew that to be positioned as Agent Afloat they only took volunteers. I didn't doubt that I would have to get on a boat at some point in time, but I would be extremely cautious when that time came. Case Agent at Norfolk hadn't been my first choice of where I would have liked to be placed, I wasn't a field agent, but it wasn't something I would complain about. There was no local pack for miles around Norfolk, I didn't need permission to live there or have to avoid certain locations. It was great, for awhile.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

It was hard to believe that one man could have been the undoing of my perfect lone wolf lifestyle. Let alone a man who was one-hundred percent human! I had heard stories around the office about Gibbs, he was practically a legend to a green probie like me and when he arrived on scene for that first case, he took a perfect position on the pedestal I had built him in my mind.

At first I had wondered, how would these people act towards me if they new what I was? Agent DiNozzo and Agent Todd would probably not have hazed me as much as they did, out of fear that I would eat them. Gibbs though, I never had any doubt that Gibbs wouldn't have changed a thing. At first he had completely ignored my presence. For all that I was a fellow NCIS agent, I was just as stuck in the background as the base MP's. But not for long.

"_You'll wanna avoid Captain Veitch. Well, I met him once, before, he can be very…difficult."_

I'd never seen a human whip around so fast. For the first time he actually looked at me, got right up in my face and looked me straight in the eye. For a moment I had been afraid, afraid that the my wolf would for once in his life take up a challenge. I didn't want to hurt Agent Gibbs, but I had no doubt that I could have.

"_And you don't think, that I can be difficult?"_

My eyes had dropped, of their own accord. I had to plant my feet so that I wouldn't drop to the ground. This was a man before me, a man who was one-hundred percent human, and it took every ounce of my being not to just roll over and give him my throat. I had stuttered back a response, barely. They left without me which I was thankful for. I took a quick minute to get my bearings back before I followed them.

After they returned to DC I did something I had never done before. I took the night off and jogged out into the middle of nowhere. After I was sure that I was completely alone I had taken off and hidden my clothes and shifted.

The change isn't quick or easy. Your bones and have to completely reshape themselves. Sometimes it takes as long as fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of pure torture. Fifteen minutes that would go by so much faster if you have a pack shifting with you. When I was finished I shook, sending sandy brown fur flying in all directions trying to get used to my other form. Then I ran, I ran away from civilization, as far as I could get. Eventually I stopped, exhausted. And then I cried.

My howls shook the trees and frightened away all the birds and animals in the area. In the distance I could hear my native cousins cry in sympathy, but they would not approach. No wild animal is stupid enough to approach a werewolf.

I cried for a long time. Before I had never known what it really meant to be part of a pack. When I was first learning the ropes I was only there to learn, I wasn't part of their pack. And when I was part of a pack, I was only a punching bag. I'd never known what a true pack felt like. I had my family sure, they were great and I loved them with all of my heart. But it wasn't the same.

But that day I had gotten a taste of what being in a pack was like. Sure they weren't wolves, Gibbs and his team were as human as it came. But they were a pack, a family and I had never realized until I met them, just what I was missing. So that night I cried my loneliness to the beautiful moon high in the sky and the next morning I arrived at work with a new determination. I would work hard and I would become a member of Gibbs's team.


	2. Chapter One

_**Chapter One**_

**Present Day**

My tennis shoes squelched loudly against the soaked concrete. Overhead the clouds rumbled and rain poured heavily down. Other joggers in the park had taken shelter under their jackets or under a few covered picnic areas throughout the park, their dogs stared sadly out from their unwanted shelters as Jethro and I ran past. Jethro's mouth hung open, tongue lolling happily as we made our third circuit of the park. I shook my head vigorously, shaking the water from my hair and wiped my eyes as thunder rumbled overhead.

I cocked an eyebrow and looked up at the dark clouds. I slowed our pace to a stop and sniffed the air. Closing my eyes I sorted through the scents of the people and animals that had recently passed through the park. There was a storm brewing, the air was thick with the scent of electricity. I frowned, this storm smelled like a bad one. A car passing the park in the distance played a local weather update as it drove by, I tilted my head slightly and listened with interest until it was out of my hearing range. By my side Jethro whined uneasily at out inactivity. His mouth was closed, ears lain close to his skull as he too sniffed the air.

"Well boy, I think we're both in agreement that it's a good idea to head home now."

We cut off the path, running all out through the muddy grass and thick trees towards the parking lot. Jethro barked happily and I couldn't help but laugh. When I had first been changed I had thought no animals would ever come near me again. Sarah had been given a kitten for her birthday the year before and it had a tendency to sleep on my bed while we were at school. But the day I came home from the hospital she had hissed violently and ran. I've never been able to get within five feet of a cat since.

Dogs however don't seem to mind werewolves. In fact, other than our unpleasant initial meeting, Jethro seems quite happy to have become a part of my rather unusual pack. It was surprisingly easy for the team to be convinced that Jethro had attacked me only because he was doped up on cocaine. I kept waiting for them to realize the flaw in the logic. To realize that he was clearly still doped when he was given to Abby in the lab and he had been fine with her. It had been annoying to walk around all day with dried blood on my neck and arm, but I was terrified that someone would insist on checking up on the already healed wound or changing the bandages.

I had been irritated at first, to allow myself to be wounded by a mere dog! But after I had taken him home our differences had been quickly settled. I couldn't blame him really, not anymore, it had been a very stressful time for the canine. First his master is violently murdered and he gets drugged. Then a predator, a very dangerous predator, tries to enter his territory. It was instinct and I have no room to hold grudges over instinct.

The parking lot was slowly emptying by the time we reached my Porsche but the rain was coming down harder. I pulled a few towels out the trunk, laying a few over the seats and using the others to dry myself and the dog. After I released him Jethro happily jumped into the car, turning a few circles he sat and watched me cross to the drivers side with a big doggy grin.

I had just sat down when my cell phone began to ring. Sighing I looked over my shoulder at my companion.

"I betcha ten bucks it's Gibbs with a case." Laying his ears flat the dog barked with disapproval. I laughed. "I know, even if you had the money it's a suckers bet. I knew there was no way that we were really going to get a three day weekend." I slid my thumb across the touch screen to answer the call.

"McGee."

"Gear up and get to the Navy Yard, we've got a case."

Gibbs's message was short and sweet.

"Boss wait! Are you still there?"

I waited for a moment, listening. I could hear him breathing and the sounds of the bullpen in the background. He was still there.

"I've got Jethro with me, we were just finishing up a walk. Do want me to come straight in or take him home first?"

"Ah hell McGee I'd forgotten about the dog. Do you think he could track a person if he was given a scent?"

I looked over my shoulder at the panting canine, Jethro's ears had perked forward at the sound of the voice of his namesake on the phone.

"Yeah Boss, who's is he gonna need to track?"

"Missing dependent McGee. Get here ASAP!"

"Got it Boss. I'm on my way."

I waited for the telltale silence on the other line to hang up and tossed the phone into the passenger seat. As I turned the key in the ignition Jethro barked happily, sensing the coming work he jumped forward to lick the side of my face. I shoved the German Shepherd back onto his towels, setting my face with determination and pulled out of the parking lot. Even if Jethro couldn't track the missing dependent I sure as hell could. 

-NCIS-

"Took you long enough to get here Probie!"

Tony barely waited for me to step out of the elevator before he pushed me back inside and hit the button for the first floor. The wolf in me bristled unhappily, Tony always had the ability to get his hackles up. I stepped back as Jethro stepped forward, sniffing his pants inquisitively. I didn't have to step close to smell the perfume that practically covered the senior field agent. He had been with a woman when he'd gotten Gibbs's call. I took a deep breath, trying to get a fix on the scent of the woman beneath the perfume. I didn't know her, but if we ever happened to meet I would recognize her scent.

"While you and McMutt were playing in the rain a little girl's gone missing at Quantico. Gibbs is pissed! So far no one knows if it's a kidnapping of if the kid just wandered away, but no one has seen her since early this morning and the mother is beginning to panic."

I nodded staring hard at the cool metal doors fighting the wolf's urge to growl, with anger and irritation. Anger at the fact that a child was missing and the irritation simply because the wolf didn't want Tony to blame us when there was nothing that we could have done. Taking another deep breath, to calm myself and the wolf, I noticed the heavy scent of anxiety and worry. For all that Tony could hide the worry from his face there was no way he could hide it in his scent. I laid a hand on Jethro's head, scratching him behind the ears.

"Well if she's still on the base Jethro and I will find her."

Tony nodded and together we stepped off the elevator, walking quickly to the truck. I couldn't smell Gibbs or Ziva's presence, but their scent was hanging faintly in the air. I looked into the motor pool car park, our usual sedan was missing.

"Did Gibbs and Ziva go ahead of us to join the search party?"

Tony nodded, swinging himself into the drivers seat and started the truck. I opened the passenger seat and Jethro jumped eagerly into the cab. He was eagerly licking his chops, ears standing erect as his muscles trembled with anticipation and excitement. I smiled as I took my seat. Jethro loved to track, to follow a scent trail. I knew the feeling, the thrill of the hunt was intoxicating.

As Tony pulled out of the garage I reached into my bag pack and pulled out the dogs' service vest. The Marines hadn't trained him as anything other than a drug sniffing dog, but after his semi-forced retirement it had been clear to me that he missed having a job to do. I had looked online and entered us in the appropriate classes, now Jethro was a certified search and rescue canine. As I strapped him into his vest I couldn't shake the overwhelming surge of guilt. If I had come into the open last year when the existence of werewolves was revealed to the public there would be no need for Jethro's nose. I could have openly tracked down the child on my own.

But no one at NCIS knew that I was a werewolf, no one alive that is. I had never worked up the courage to reveal my secret to the team. Before the Marrok had revealed the werewolf's existence it had been because of the rules forbidding humans the knowledge. There were strict rules in place, the only humans that could be told were spouses and that was only _after _the wedding. The consequences for breaking those rules were harsh. But now that we were out, it was just because I was scared. I had seen the reactions of some other employees at NCIS to werewolves. I wouldn't be able to handle the fear or rejection if my team did not accept me. For all that they were human, the team was my pack in every sense of the word.

"So how did the McMutt do in his classes? You think he'll be up to finding the kid?"

I grinned, shaking away my melancholy.

"Jethro was at the top of the class! As to be expected of a McGee. Like I said Jethro and I will find her."

I turned my eyes back to the road, hoping that my partner wouldn't notice the brightening and intensity of the color. The wolf was becoming insistent with the urge to hunt, I had to fight the urge to change. I held Jethro's muzzle between my hands, looking in the dogs warm brown eyes in an attempt to calm myself. Yes, we would find the girl, we would find her even if some scumbag _had _taken her from the base. 

-NCIS-

We passed through the gate onto the base quickly thanks to our badges and the truck. Tony pulled up and parked next to the agency sedan and I clipped Jethro's leash back onto his collar as we left the vehicle. The scent of fear and anxiety permeated the air, it made my wolf uneasy. But underneath the scent of human emotions was the heavy scent of werewolves, quite a few werewolves, and that made my wolf downright nervous.

I tried to reign in my fear. Wolves could smell fear, they saw fear as a weakness and weak werewolves were easy prey. Jethro was straining against his leash, eager to follow Tony and get to work, but I waited for a moment and gave myself a firm shake. No fear, the Quantico Pack only included Marines, they knew the concept of doing ones duty. So long as I was here to do my job they wouldn't give me any grief. I allowed myself to relax slightly, if wolves from the Quantico Pack were assisting in the search we would find the girl much quicker than with only my and Jethro's noses following the trail.

Gibbs was coordinating the search teams with a few human Marines when Jethro and I approached. He turned slightly towards us in acknowledgment thought he kept his attention on the other men.

"A couple of the MP's on patrol last night remembered seeing a truck that didn't have a base sticker. They took note of the time and plate number after they called it in but there was no one around, so they left it. When the next shift went by the truck was gone."

The second man was scowling at a map, he shook it open and laid it down on the muddy ground.

"The girl and her friends were playing here, at the park, this morning before she went missing. None of the kids remembered seeing a stranger around, they also didn't remember Kelly saying anything about leaving, but when her mother came back to pick her up a couple hours later she was gone."

Tony and I both froze, casting subtle glances towards our boss. Gibbs's jaw was clenched, his blue eyes cold as he looked over the map. I tightened my hold on the loose skin around Jethro's neck. This little girl had the same name as Gibbs daughter. I could only desperately hope that she was only lost. The former gunnery sergeant leaned forward, tapping a few locations surrounding the small park.

"We'll have the search teams start at these locations and work outwards from there. McGee, you and Jethro head up the team south of the park, take Tony with you. Ziva and I will go with the team to the north." He looked towards the two Marines in charge of the search parties. "Has anyone contacted the werewolves to request their help?"

Both Marines shifted uneasily and the scent of fear radiated from their skin. I didn't take my eyes off of the map, it was bad enough smelling their fear of my kind, I didn't want to have to see it in their body language as well. Beside me Tony stiffened, he didn't smell of fear rather a muted excitement. Ziva's posture shifted as well, though the excitement in her scent was much more obvious.

"We finally gonna work with some werewolves boss? Cause, ya know, I've been waiting for a whole year now to meet a werewolf and I haven't gotten to yet."

Ziva nodded enthusiastically.

"I am fairly certain that I have worked with a few werewolves over the years, but that was before they came out to the public. I would like to meet one who is not hiding what he is."

I allowed myself a small smile. It was nice to know that my friends were not frightened by werewolves. But I would feel better if their feelings remained that way until after they had actually met a revealed wolf in person. Gibbs glared at the fearful Marines. He didn't need a werewolves heightened sense of smell, he could read their fear clear from their body language. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and strode out of the humans hearing range to make a call.

I didn't feel guilty about eavesdropping, it wasn't something that I did intentionally. A gruff mans voice, full of dominance answered the call. Gibbs was quick about asking for assistance and the wolf on the other end of the line laughed and hung up. Everyone on base froze as a chilling chorus of howls rose in the distance.

A hunting song.

My hands tightened in Jethro's fur and the dog whimpered, pulling away when my grip because too tight. I was glad everyone's eyes were turned in the direction of the howling, there was no way that I could hide the pain on my face. My own song rose in my throat, but I quickly swallowed it. Lone wolves aren't pack, they are not welcome to sing with a pack. Also, if I broke out and began howling in front of my colleagues it would have rendered all of my secrecy worthless.

I stayed firmly in place, crouched next to my dog as the pack approached. I kept my eyes on three targets only; the map, Jethro or Gibbs. A few wolves had remained in their human forms, probably the Alpha and his second. Their eyes darted towards me briefly as they approached by I remained kneeling on the ground, body turned in as submissive a posture I could manage without falling into the mud on my belly.

The scent of fear was growing more sharply in their air, driving up several of the wolves aggression. In my periphery I could see many bright eyes trained on me as lips curled up over vicious fangs. I stood my ground keeping a tight lid on my own fear. I didn't want to feed the fire anymore than my presence already did. The Alpha narrowed his eyes at his pack and loudly snapped his fingers. Instantly they shook off their aggression and relaxed. A few lay or sat down, a few more inched towards me and my team. I looked up meeting their eyes, despite their Alpha's orders their aggression towards me was still obvious, but now they were approaching _my_ pack. I growled, a very low sound almost undetectable by human ears. But the wolves heard, as did Jethro. He dropped his ears onto his skull and bared his teeth growling menacingly at the approaching predators. Neither of us liked them being near our pack. I locked a hand around his collar to hold him in place though, as much as I appreciated his support if he attacked the werewolves he wouldn't stand a chance.

Again the Alpha snapped and this time all of his wolves dropped into the mud. At my side Jethro did the same. I looked at my dog and sighed as he looked up at me apologetically. I didn't blame him though, I only was remaining upright because I was already on my knees.

"Sorry about that Gunny, sometimes I'm tempted to just put a leash on some of these boys!"

He laughed and waded through the mass of large furry bodies. I raised my eyes and did a quick count, the alpha had brought five wolves with him. Including himself and his second that was seven new noses to add to the search party. Would the Alpha split them up between the two teams? Or would he keep his pack together, to hunt together.

"Not a problem Lieutenant Colonel, I've considered putting a leash on a few members of my team in the past as well."

I raised my eyes to grin at Tony and froze as fear shot through me like ice water. Both my partners were flanking Gibbs. Each stood straight, shoulders back, staring straight into the eyes of the wolves opposite us. My mouth dropped open, clearly neither of them had been briefed on how to handle werewolves. There they stood, clearly challenging the pack. I thought furiously, searching for something to say that would draw their attention towards me. Anything to change their challenging posture.

"Well boss, I'm sure that if you ever give in to that urge Abby would be willing to lend you a collar. She would probably be oh so happy to drag Tony around the office, I bet you she could even scrounge up a big newspaper for you."

It worked. Ziva turned to the side, covering her mouth slightly to cover her snickers. Tony turned to me, a mockingly shocked look on his face. I had no doubt that he was about to insult me in front of these strange wolves. But that was something I could live with, if it meant these wolves didn't rip him to pieces I could deal with playing the good submissive wolf again for awhile.

"Oh McWhipped? And how would you know that? Did you and Abby have a little role playing going on when you two were dating?"

Then again the boss didn't need a rolled up newspaper, his hand worked just as well. Tony jerked forward with the force of the headslap. I couldn't keep the grin off of my face, several of the wolves had their heads tilted in confusion. Their Alpha laughed as he knelt down to look at the maps. Subtly I lowered myself until I was sitting in the mud, bending to examine the map until my head was lower than his. In my periphery I could see his face and I was thankful to see that he appeared amused, if anything.

"So Gunny where do we need to start looking? The girl went missing from this park here right?" He tapped the map and continued when Gibbs nodded. I glanced up and was surprised to see that the majority of the humans had fled the area. Gibbs saw my questioning gaze and he shook his head with bitter disappointment. Ah, the human Marines were not willing to work with the werewolves. "Were you planning on two teams? One to the north and the other to the south?" The Alpha nodded to himself, studying the map. "I can split my wolves up, your boy and the dog will round the numbers to make two teams of noses evenly."

I felt the tension drain from my shoulders before I had even realized it was there. It hadn't occurred to be until right at this moment that these wolves would, or could, reveal my secrets for me. But thankfully that didn't seem to be a problem any longer. With that statement hopefully all of the Quantico wolves would realize that I wasn't an outed wolf as of yet.

Gibbs knelt down beside the Alpha nodding with agreement.

"Both teams can fan out in a semi-circular pattern searching for a scent or a sign. We will meet up at the eastern and western points."

The Alpha turned back to his wolves, quickly splitting them up into two separate teams under himself and his second. Gibbs turned to his three agents and glared before reaching out and smacking Tony and Ziva harshly upside the head. Both Agents looked shocked, for once they genuinely didn't know why they had been disciplined.

"I swear you two must have a death wish. I would have done that earlier to break you out of your stupidity, but thankfully McGee beat me to it." His face only showed his anger, but there was no anger in his scent, only worry. "When we get back to the yard the first thing I am going to do is drag all of your sorry asses into Vance's office and schedule an agency wide training session on how _**NOT **_to act around werewolves if you want to survive the meeting."

They both looked vaguely offended, with a mild irritation towards the fact that I had been left out of this round of abuse. But I could only feel relief and hoped that the boss was serious about the training session.

"We're ready to go Gunny. The Captain is going to lead the team in the north, I'll take your boy and the dog with me in the south if you don't mind."

Gibbs nodded his approval before turning to address his team again.

"Changing the teams, DiNozzo you're with me. I can't trust you not to get yourself killed without me. Ziva you go with McGee and the Lieutenant Colonel." He pointed a finger into her face, catching her eyes to drive his point home. "Do **_not _**challenge these wolves Ziver, despite all of your training you are no match for them and I would rather not have to look for a replacement for you again." He looked at me, still sitting submissively in the mud. "Take your cues from McGee, he seems to know what he's doing."

I stood, feeling their individual glares on my back. I turned to Gibbs.

"Boss, do you have something that the girl has worn recently? Jethro need something to find her scent."

He nodded and pulled an evidence bag from his jacket. Inside was a tiny pink t-shirt. The wolves shoved forward, fighting each other to be the first to catch the scent. Jethro and I waited politely for the others to finish, I didn't really mind myself, it wasn't something I wasn't used to. But Jethro was straining against the lead again. Gibbs handed over the evidence bag to Ziva as the Captain's team of wolves took off. They ran, howling the hunting song as Gibbs and Tony jogged along behind them.

Smiling the Lieutenant Colonel took the shirt and bag from Ziva. He sniffed it quickly before holding it out towards Jethro. I knelt down, close to my dogs face as I whispered his commands to track. At the same time I took a deep breath, drawing in and memorizing the scent of the little girl. When I was sure that we both had the scent I rose and for the first time, met the Alpha's eyes. They were most likely a dark chocolate brown normally, but now with the wolf so excited by the hunt they had lightened to brilliant golden shade. For a moment I was able to hold his gaze. But only for a moment, my eyes were forced to drop and I looked instead at Ziva.

The former Mossad liason was watching the wolves. Her body was slightly turned as to not face them straight on, but she was still meeting their eyes. As I watched her I noticed a longing there that I had never seen before. Did Ziva want to be a werewolf? Or did she merely desire their natural abilities? As soon as the thought crossed my mind an involuntary shiver ran down my spine. The mere thought of Ziva as a werewolf was terrifying. With the combination of her Mossad skills and a wolfs superior strength and speed she would be unstoppable. But Ziva would hate life as a werewolf. Females were not given many, if any, freedoms in pack society and were not allowed the option to be lone wolves. Although, I doubted that Ziva would let any pre-established rules stop her if she was ever changed. Again I shivered and vowed to never _ever _let that happen.

"We are ready to go now."

I kept my eyes on Ziva, hopping that she, like Tony, wouldn't notice the change in them. The wolves broke and ran towards the south at their Alpha's command. Jethro jumped forward and I ran beside him. Ziva jogged up beside me as the pack once again raised their voices in their hunting song. She was watching them with such amazement that I didn't hold back the large grin that spread across my features.

The wolf inside me was whining and fighting for me to change. It had been near ten years since I had ran with other werewolves and even longer before that since I had derived and pleasure in the act. This wasn't my pack, but the joy was still there. Ziva and Jethro kept pace by my side and I settled for humming a sigh of contentment. One of the wolves at the head of the pack froze, his ears high and nose to the ground. With a howl he sprinted off into the trees.

The scent was found!


	3. Chapter Two

**_Chapter Two_**

It turned out that the kids had _conveniently _forgotten to inform us that they had been playing hide and seek when Kelly disappeared. I didn't doubt that they had been afraid they would get in trouble. The kids were forbidden to be playing games in the woods. Kelly had traveled deep into the woods and found herself a nice hiding place in a hollowed out tree trunk. She had waited for her friends to find her and eventually fallen asleep. When she had woken up she couldn't remember which direction she had come from and wandered around lost for hours. The driver of the mystery truck turned out to be a teenager, sneaking onto base for a late night rendezvous with his girlfriend.

Kelly's mother had been overjoyed when she saw Agent Gibbs standing on her front porch, her daughter asleep in his arms. By then the rest of the wolves had been sent home and only the Alpha and I remained. The woman had a brief surge of fear when my boss informed her that her daughter had been found by the local werewolf pack. But after she had taken a moment to collect herself, she had shaken the Alpha's hand, thanking him with genuine gratitude.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair as I watched the cursor flash on the monitor before me. The report wasn't particularly difficult to write, but I found myself stalling regardless. With an unhappy sigh I pinched the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut. It had been so difficult to remain in my human form amongst all those other wolves and now...I turned and stared past Tony to look out the large windows of the squad room. The sky was completely cloudless and the moon shone with all her radiant glory. Inside I could feel the wolf stirring, basking in the moonlight as she called to him with a sirens song. I turned back to my computer and pulled up a lunar calendar, though it wasn't necessary. All werewolves could recognize the phases of the moon. Again my gaze was drawn to the sky.

Soon she would be full.

Soon she would _force _the change upon me.

"Hey McMoony, whatcha' thinking' about?"

Tony had his feet propped up on his desk as he reclined back in his chair in his classic 'meditative' pose. To a regular human he would have appeared to have been asleep. But the sound of his breathing wasn't regular or slow enough to signify sleep. He dropped his feet and turned to look at me, eyes bright from the excitement of the day.

"Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

I smirked with amusement. It was highly unlikely.

"I think so, how many cheese balls do _you _think it would take to fill up the moon?"

Tony laughed and stood, he ran around my desk and grabbed the back of my chair. I gripped the arms and lifted my feet as he pushed me out from behind my desk and towards the window. Ziva briefly looked up from her monitor, her fingers slowing as she finished typing her own report, watching our antics with an amused smirk on her face.

"Not a clue McPinky, I was wondering why we don't have any werewolves in the Navy."

For a fraction of a second I completely froze up. Would it begin now? The extreme scrutinizing gaze upon all of his colleges until Tony found himself a werewolf hiding amongst them?

"I do not see any reason to believe there are no werewolves in the Navy." Ziva stood, abandoning her paperwork as she walked over and hopped up to sit on Tony's desk. "It is reasonable to believe that there are several werewolves whom have not revealed themselves to the public eye, just like the fae. Perhaps the werewolves in the Navy believe that they could not maintain their lives aboard their ships if their crewmates knew what they were."

Ziva's argument was reasonable, if a person knew nothing about werewolves. The whole sinking like a stone was what really kept wolves from applying to the Navy. But her reasoning served well enough to distract Tony.

"But just think about it! Not all of the Navy is on ships all the time, surely someone in JAG or even here at NCIS." He hitched a hip against his desk and crossed his arms, a deep look of thought crossing over his face. "In fact, I'm surprised that NCIS doesn't have any outed werewolves, every other agency does!"

He stepped away from his desk, pacing between it and Ziva's as he counted off the alphabet agencies on his fingers.

"The FBI, CIA, NSA, ICE, the secret service, Homeland Security! They all have agents that have stepped forward to reveal themselves as werewolves!" I watched as my teammate through his hands into the air with exasperation, trying to smother the feelings of guilt that were quickly resurfacing. "NCIS is one of the only agencies that doesn't have a werewolf on the payroll! What's wrong with NCIS?"

Ziva tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully as she watched Tony pace. Then slowly her eyes slid upwards, towards the door to the directors office.

"Perhaps NCIS does have a werewolf on the payroll, but the director has decided to keep the information under bandages."

Tony halted, turning his head to look up at the directors office as well.

"First off, it's under _wraps _Ziva, not bandages. And why would the director want to keep something like that a secret? When the werewolves came out NCIS added to the fae policy that insures any werewolf employees that they won't be discriminated against." He frowned, leaning up against Gibbs's desk. "No, I think it's more likely that there are no werewolves here at NCIS. I mean, if there were, wouldn't Gibbs have found out who they are by now? He's got friends from the Marines that are werewolves, I think that he'd recognize a werewolf when he saw one."

A look of shocked horror past over his expressive face and for a moment I was sure that I was doomed.

"No way! I just realized." He looked cautiously all around him, turning in a circle and peering over the dividers between the offices. Then he leaned forward and beckoned us to lean in as well. I did so reluctantly, wheeling my chair up next to Ziva. Tony leaned forward, his hands cupped around his mouth as he whispered. "Maybe the reason that no werewolves want to join NCIS is because," here he paused for dramatic effect and I had to beat down the urge to reach out and strangle him. "No werewolves want to join NCIS because Gibbs is a werewolf!"

Thwack! Gibbs's hand came out of nowhere and connected roughly with the back of Tony's head. I leaned back in surprise, I had been so absorbed by what Tony was saying that I hadn't even heard the team leader approach.

"Not a werewolf DiNozzo. If I were you would have probably been eaten a long time ago."

"Right boss, Thank you boss!"

We scattered, each of us returning to our own desks with smirks or barely smothered laughs. As I returned to my report though, I couldn't keep my mind from straying to the thought of Gibbs as a werewolf. I was torn between what I knew about my boss and the truths that I knew and believed about wolves.

There was no doubt in my mind that if Gibbs were to ever become a werewolf, he would be an Alpha. An extremely strong Alpha. Hell, he was the closest thing I had ever seen to an Alpha in a human being. He had a very strong dominant personality, he was a natural born leader and he was extremely protective of his team. Those were the main instincts of an Alpha wolf, to lead and protect the pack.

But I had seen men before. Men who were different after the change. Sometimes the predator and the instinct that is born inside is too strong and when the man rises, he is a completely different person. A person who is still human, but his mind is touched too much by the wolf. I didn't want to believe that of Gibbs. Everything that I knew about him assured me that he would be an ideal Alpha, in complete control of himself. But I had seen the madness that some dominant wolves face and I couldn't deny that it was a possibility.

I shook myself from my thoughts and cast a weary eye towards my boss. It didn't seem like he had noticed the straying of my thoughts. I watched as he chicken pecked on his keyboard with a finger and sipped his coffee. I glanced away, before he caught me watching and questioned me. I needed to stop wondering about things like these. Gibbs would never become a werewolf. To become a werewolf he would have to be attacked, mauled and practically killed. Eyes back on my computer screen I growled, low and dangerously, at the thought.

No werewolf would ever get close enough to attack Gibbs. Or Tony or Ziva. Or any one of my friends, my pack, here at NCIS. Any wolf that tried would end up dead by my fangs and claws.

-NCIS-

The rest of the week passed in cold case files and empty coffee cups. Every night, when the moon rose, I could feel the draw of her power and fought the urge to simply succumb to the change. Finally Friday was over and Gibbs dismissed us with a jerk of his head towards the elevator. I smiled, relived to be leaving and excited for the coming weekend. The MCRT was not on call this weekend, so unless there was an emergency I was completely free.

_"Breaking news here at ZNN."_

"Hey Probie, Ziva and I are gonna go hit the bar. Why don't you go grab Abbs if she's free and join us."

I shook my head, rejecting the offer before he had even finished asking.

"Sorry Tony. I can't, I've already got plans."

"Oh come on Elf Lord! Questing for rare armor or something doesn't count!"

_"The FBI investigation into the violent animal mauling across DC continues as more victims continue to be discovered."_

I glared and resisted the wolfs urge pounce on Tony and bite him. Somehow I decided that the gesture wouldn't translate from wolf to human well. Tony smirked, assuming that my glare meant that his assumption had been correct. I decided that when I finally found the courage to show my friends what I was, I was going to run under Tony's feet and trip him up as much as possible.

"Not those kinds of plans. Sarah and I are driving home to see our parents this weekend. We won't be back until Monday morning."  
><em><br>"The FBI continues to claim that these are the attacks of a rouge bear, but several concerned citizens are asking, are these attacks being committed by a werewolf?"_

I didn't wait for his response as I brushed past him and bypassed the elevator, choosing instead to take the stairs. I was in a hurry, Sarah and I had only a few hours to get home before the moon's strength was at her zenith. I just hoped that she was waiting at my apartment and ready to go when I got there.

As I pulled into my parking space Sarah was waiting, our bags and Jethro by her side. I popped the trunk as she grabbed the duffel bags and quickly tossed them into the trunk before pushing the dog into the backseat and sliding into the passenger seat.

"Agent Gibbs let you guys leave early today didn't he? I wasn't expecting you for another hour at the most."

I nodded, glad that I had thought to call her as I left the Navy Yard.

"We've been working cold cases for the last few days. I think that I was the only person still working when he finally decided that he had had enough of Tony flying paper airplanes at the legal personnel as they walked past."

Sarah laughed as I pulled back out onto the street, turning in the familiar direction of our parents home. Inside the wolf paced restlessly, nudging relentlessly at my control. He knew what tonight was and he was excited.

"Have you been watching the news lately Tim?"

Sarah sounded slightly anxious as I shook my head. I hadn't watched much of any news, save weather reports, since the werewolves revealed themselves. We hadn't stirred up as much controversy as the fae had. But I still didn't enjoy watching experts discuss whether we should be allowed to hold onto our citizenship or be listed as animals under the Endangered Species Act.

"There have been a bunch of mauling's, all over DC. The FBI is investigating, claiming that it's a bear, but a bunch of people are screaming werewolf."

I sat up straighter in my seat. That was news that I probably should have listened to.

"Did they say who the FBI agent in charge of the operation was?"

Sarah shook her head. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, suddenly very glad that my little sister was going to be home in Ohio for the full moon. A rouge werewolf on the run in DC was a dangerous thing. With the full moon approaching it would only get more dangerous. I could only hope that the local pack would be hunting it as well as the FBI. I let out a quiet scoff at that thought. Half of the DC pack was made up of FBI agents.

One more reason for me to stay a lone wolf.

"You don't think they're going to blame you for this, do you? I mean, aren't the lone wolves the first suspects?"

That made me grit my teeth. Of course they would have to investigate all of the lone wolves in the area. But it was DC, the capital of the United States! There were several lone wolves living in the area besides him. Although, if they couldn't find him when they wished to question him, that could cause problems. I took my phone from my pocket and made sure that the ringer was turned up all the way. Not that that would matter, the FBI never _called _before they dragged you around for questioning.

"I don't think that any of them will seriously consider me as a suspect. Submissive wolves don't have the violent tendencies that the dominants have. They will probably have to question me anyway though, just for procedures."

Sarah nodded, one of her hands snaking into the backseat to stroke Jethro's soft fur. For a moment I stared at the locked screen of my phone and contemplated calling the team to warn them. But what would that accomplish? None of them would take kindly to being asked to lock themselves up in their homes, safe and sound, for the weekend. If _anything _that would make them go out just to spite me.

With a growl I shoved the phone back into my pocket. I couldn't regret coming home, not since it got Sarah out of the danger zone. But I would now be worried the entire weekend. I shot a look at the clock on the dash. Only a few hours until dark. I applied a little more pressure to the gas, speed up just a little over the limit.

-NCIS-

I hadn't had much time to great my parents before the rising moon sent me dashing into my old room. I quickly swung the door closed, assuring my privacy, as I began to quickly strip out of my work clothes. I didn't bother with folding them, I just left them where they fell as I pulled up the shade over the window.

Pulse drumming erratically in my ears, I slid open the window and sat in the pool moonlight that shone through. My breath quickened until I was practically panting, fighting to stay relaxed as I allowed the wolf to come forward. He came eagerly and I collapsed to the floor, racked with pain.

I clenched my teeth tightly as my back arched off of the floor. My bones began to slowly shift, changing my form from a bipedal human to that of a quadruped wolf. Soft whimpers became whines as my face elongated into a muzzle and my teeth grew, long and razor sharp. Skin pulled tight over limbs that where changing into shapes it was never meant to cover and soft brown fur began to grow. My fingernails lengthened and hardened into claws that drew long scores into the hardwood floor.

A werewolves transformation wasn't quick, it wasn't easy and it sure as hell wasn't painless. I laid on the floor of my childhood room in agony for the fifteen minutes that it took to become a wolf. For several minutes after the change was completed I lay still on the floor, panting heavily, tongue lolling as my new body shook. Eventually I managed to stand and stretched to work out the last of the painful aches. I walked around the room, getting reacquainted with four feet instead of two and gave my sandy brown fur a vigorous shake.

As I paced past the door I paused, lowering my nose to sniff under the crack. With a canine grin I stood back and scratched at the door, whining loudly. The sound of my family scrambling away brought forth a short bark of laughter. After a moment the door cracked open and my father glanced inside.

"Everything go okay Tim?"

Obviously I couldn't answer him in this form, so I let my actions speak for me. I left my room, walking leisurely into the hallway to allow my family to look me over. Sarah stepped forward with a smile and a large leather dog collar. My ears dropped comically as she latched it around my neck but I did not fight. This was one of the more practical rules enforced by the Marrok. All lone wolves running free were required to wear a collar whenever they went out as wolves.

The tag on my collar declared me _Squirrel _and listed Sarah's cell number to be called if I was found.

It was a mistake letting Sarah purchase the collar and tag. But she had insisted that since it was her that would have to come fetch me if I ended up in the pound, all naming and collar options would be up to her.

I didn't understand how anyone could mistake a werewolf for a dog; though people had been for centuries. Sure, the coloring of a werewolves coat tends to appear more like a dogs than a regular wolf. (I've heard rumors that the Marrok's tail has a white tip on the end, as if he'd dipped it into a paint bucket.) But if you really look at a werewolf you can see the differences. For one, even small wolves are around the size of a mastiff. Some wolf's size is more akin to that of a bear. Another difference is in our shoulders. The musculature is completely wrong for a canine, but werewolves were built for fighting and our muscles reflected that. With our altered shoulders we had a much wider range of sideways motion than our native cousins.

Collar secured Sarah gave me a quick, pleasant, scratch behind my ears. I stepped away sneezing at her in a reproachful manner. I didn't like that she was so comfortable around werewolves, even me. There was always the chance that she would get to comfortable around the wrong wolf and that would be disastrous.

She glared, but stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. I gave my family a final canine grin and trotted down the stairs then out the open back door. On the porch I paused, raising my nose into the air and taking in several deep breaths. For the most part I smelled my parents and the scents of the house, but when I closed my eyes and filtered past that, I could smell the trees and the dirt.

With a leap, I bounded off of the porch and ran into the woods, a gleeful howl ripping past my lips as I went. My paws dug deep ruts into the dirt, propelling me quickly through the trees. I danced through the wilderness, not paying attention to where I went or anything around me. I just laid back and let the wolf take over as he basked in the glow of being free. Of being an _animal_.

Eventually I stopped, flopping gracelessly into a pile of deadfall and rolling onto my back lazily. My stomach rumbled and the wolves ears pricked forward, nose raising into the air as another animalistic urge took over. Quietly I rolled out of the deadfall, treading lightly now on my paws. I turned my head in all directions, scenting the air around me before focusing towards the east.

On silent paws I crept between the trees, all senses on high alert. Finally I found what I was searching for, a female white tail deer, a doe. The wolf flexed his claws, ready to charge, she would be no challenge for us and he was _hungry_. But I held us back, watching. The doe was preparing to bed down for the night. Every now and then she would quickly look up, frantically searching in all directions as a prey animals instincts screamed that she was in danger. But she couldn't see me, slunk low to the ground, and she stayed where she was. When I was certain that she didn't have a fawn, I stopped reigning the wolf in and he charged.

The doe screamed in panic as the large brown beast charged towards her out of the darkness. She barely had enough time to climb to her feet before I was on her. Werewolves teeth are sharp and our jaws are strong. One fierce bite snapped her neck, killing her instantly. I stood for a moment, frozen by human revulsion, as her blood soaked my fur and run over my tongue. In the distance a small pack of coyotes voices rose in song. Abruptly the human revulsion was pushed back and I dropped the carcass, raising my own voice in song to silence the weaker predators. They would _not _hunt here, this was _my _territory!

Their song ceased and, satisfied, the wolf turned back to his kill; and fed.


End file.
